Chapter 2: The Road to Edoldon

Chapter 2: The Road to Edoldon

“But before we head out there is one more thing I need to give you.” Lina exclaimed

A light appeared before me, and then a card-like object formed. Instinctively, I reached out and caught it. I looked at the card. It had my name on it, along with words like aptitude and large letters beside them.

[Akira Yoshino]

Aptitude’s

[Spell Blade] S, [ Offensive Magic] A, [Swordsmanship] A, [Aura Skills] B, [Body Enchantments Magic] B

As I looked at the card, Lina flew over and began looking at it too.

“What is this card Lina?”

“It's your identifier card that shows people their aptitude for learning certain things and the role that suits them best.” She explained. Then continued with "essentially its guideline on your growth.”

With a sigh of relief she then said “ At least you have the [Spell Blade] class aptitude and not the [Hero] aptitude.”

I didn’t understand why she felt relieved that I didn’t have the [Hero] class. In every story I’ve read and game I’ve played, that was always the best class.

“Why are you saying being a [Hero] is a bad thing?”

Lina said, "It's okay, but the class can be tricky if you’re not careful." She also said, "The Hero class can do many things, so it's a good place to start."

She ended her explanation by saying, "But if you don't focus, it becomes a jack of all trades and master of none. Then, you'll begin to fall behind other classes."

I see it as an all-rounder class, but if you don’t choose a build that fits your playstyle, the class quickly loses its potential.

Lina then says, "Many [Hero] class individuals in the past relied only on their natural starting abilities. They used these skills to reach their goals and enjoy the fame and glory that came with the title."

She then continued, "When it came time to fulfill the responsibility that came with that title, they would fail badly and be remembered as a failed [Hero]."

“But not everyone ended up like that. Some reached their goals, earned many achievements, and gained the titles of [Mage Hero] or [Sword Hero]. Their stories became the great tales that people look up to.” she added.

Lina took off, flying toward the forest. She said, "Now that that's settled, let's head to Edoldon. Be careful - the road isn't safe, and we might come across a [Scourge Spawn]."

“[Scorge Spawn]?”

Lina stopped and explained what a [Scourge Spawn] was to me. They were beings that were born from the [Scourge] that infected the land. They would kill and destroy anything that got close to them like mindless killing machines. These monsters would be born from [Dungeons] which was the name the adventures called the nest of [Scourge Spawns].

Getting ready for what lay ahead, I took a deep breath and began walking into the forest, with only Lina to guide me. After what seemed like a few minutes, we reached a clearing where a dirt road ran through the trees.

“Alright from here we follow the road this way and we will be at Edoldon in no time!” Lina excitedly said.

Following her instruction I walked down the road towards the direction she had mentioned. The walk was peaceful with only the sounds of nature and Lina’s humming accompanying me. Then the peace of the stroll was immediately broken.

I heard a loud “Kyaaaaa!” coming from what sounded like a woman's voice coming further down the road.

I started running, with Lina flying beside me. As we got closer, I could see what was causing the noise. Two people stood in front of a large green humanoid monster holding a big wooden club. A boy with short brown hair, carrying a sword and shield, stood between the monster and a blue-haired girl behind him. She was holding a staff and chanting some words. Nearby, a broken carriage lay on its side, and the horses that should have been pulling it were nowhere to be seen.

“Graaaaah” the monster yelled as it swung its club down onto the boy who was able to receive the heavy blow with a shield but was flung back next to the blue-haired girl.

“[Fireball]” the blue-haired girl yelled as a sphere of flame appeared in front of her and launched itself towards the monster. Before the monster could react the ball of fire connected and erupted in impact squarely on its chest pushing it back slightly from the momentum of the explosion.

The blast did little to stop the monster. As the smoke cleared, it let out another loud scream. Before the two figures could regain their balance, the monster charged at them. It swung its massive club, ready to strike again.

Seeing this I dashed forward hoping to get there in time. While thinking to myself I need to move faster, the word [Accelleration] appeared in my mind then my body felt lighter and my movement became faster. Before I knew it I was in front of the monster who was ready to swing down its club.

Without hesitation it drew [Vermillion Rose] from and sheath and swung to parry its attack as I did this the words [Bull Strength] appeared in my head like the words did last time. When my blade and the club contacted each other my swing had more force than I had thought. This caused the monster to be flung backwards from the after shock.

With giving it a chance to recover I leapt towards it. I tried to ignite [Vermillion Rose] like I did when it was an item in game but as if saying I was not ready to use its powers yet it would not ignite. I want to make a move right now to take down my opponent with one swing. A phrase just came to me, like before [Aura Blade]. Then my sword began to glow a faint yellow and orange light. Then in one clean motion I sliced the monster with my glowing blade. Blood spewed out from the cut and the monster fell motionlessly to the ground. With enough speed and reaction time I was able to avoid getting covered by all its blood.

I stood there in front of the monster who was lifeless and surrounded by a pool of its own blood. I looked at my blade that didn’t have a light coating like before. The power the Goddess gave was amazing but if I didn’t know how to activate them or use them properly I would be the one the ground dead right now. I found more relief in learning to use this gift properly.

My thoughts were interrupted by a voice behind me.

“Who are you?” said the voice

When I turned around to see the source of the question being the boy who was holding a sword and a shield. He looked battered probably due to being flung by the monster blow during the fight.

“Theo, that's rude. We should be thanking her for saving lives.” The blue-haired girl yelled as she scolded the boy whose name was Theo.

“Alright, I get it you don't need to yell.” Theo said as put away his sword and shield. Then he looked at me with a straight face and said “Thank you miss for helping us take down the monster I’m Theo Reinhart, a novice adventurer.”

Then as he finished the blue-haired girl looked at and said “I’m Maribella Winesworth, a novice adventurer as well and thank you again for your help miss.”

Then turning around Maribella yelled towards the forest and said “It’s okay to come out now the monster is dead.”

After a few moments a few men and women came out of the forest from the direction Maribella called out to.

Seeing the trouble has settled I sheathed my blade and walked up the two young adventures and introduced myself.

“I’m Akira Yoshino just a traveler heading towards Edoldon"

Without missing a chance to introduce herself Lina came flying next me said “And I’m Lina her familiar”

“WOW…. is that a light fairy” Maribella exclaimed as she seemed shocked by the existence of Lina.

“Yup I am a light fairy” Lina smugly said.

Maribella started to examine Lina excitedly but before she could Theo interrupted her and said “Sorry but I think we should try solve the current problem before we start getting distracted”

Theo then pointed at the broken carriage. Snapping out of it Maribella went to who think was the driver of the carriage and started apologizing.

After some time while offering my help I got the idea of what had happened before I arrived. The monster attacked this transport carriage and with quick thinking Maribella was able to put a magic barrier to soften the blow. It was not enough to completely stop the attack as the carriage was broken and the horse ran after the restraints broke off.

Thanks to Maribella's magic, the carriage was repaired. We also managed to find the horse not far away and it was lured back to the carriage. Grateful for my help in defeating the monster, the driver offered me a ride in return. I accepted, as he mentioned they were headed to Edoldon, which was my destination.

Before we left Maribella had to burn the corpse of the monster since they didn’t have the tools to extract materials from it. They decided to burn it to not attract more monsters towards the road.

After getting on the carriage and having the time to relax the attention of the pair of adventures turned towards me.

“Miss Akira, are you an adventure see how skilled you were in the fight earlier” Maribella asked.

“No, I'm just a traveler”

Knowing this was probably not enough to satisfy their questioning I quickly thought of a fake backstory for myself.

“I left my village with Lina because the person who was taking care of me passed away and left me a letter saying that I needed to explore the world more.”

“They told me to head towards Edoldon and learn and gain experience there.”

Hoping this would be enough to satisfy their interest, I looked at both of them. Maribella then nodded toward Theo after they both looked at me. She said, "You should come with us to the Adventurer’s Guild. It’s the best place to gain experience." She added, "We’ll guide you there since we know the city well."

Seeing no problem with this arrangement I agreed to their suggestion. With that my journey towards Edolon with these two adventures started.